RWBY Silver Maiden Vignettes
by Necron Caelestis
Summary: A collection of vignettes on characters from the Silver Maiden fan fiction series of the RWBY series by Rooster Teeth.
1. Vignette 1 - The Secret Rose Garden

Vignette 1

_The Secret Rose Garden_

The sound of birds chirping as the dawn light touched her eyes was enough to rouse Athena Rose, who was sleeping in today, contrary to the usual routine of her being awake before her brother. She looked over to the other bed in the room. Leon was nowhere to be found, but his bed was as much of a mess as it always was. She shook her head with a sigh before getting up and stretching. She made her bed before doing the same with his. The door opened to reveal Leon standing in the doorway.

"Damn it, you got up already!" he said.

"What the heck are you so excited about?" Athena asked dryly.

"Great, you got to my bed, too."

"I'm _always_ making your bed in the morning, you doof."

"That's not very nice!"

She sighed heavily, giving him a slap on the forehead as she walked past him to the door.

"Hey! That's not very nice, either!"

"Yeah, yeah."

She ignored his mumbling as she grabbed her things from her armoire, heading straight to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her golden hair went in all directions, midnight blue eyes accompanied by dark circles.

_Why am I so tired right now?_

She recalled the hunting assignment yesterday. Grandpa Tai was the headmaster of Signal Academy, which meant that she and her team had the privilege of getting the most difficult tasks in the entire school. Leon had accused him once of trying to overcompensate so as to deflect any accusations of favoritism, but Tai had countered that it was, as a matter of fact, because of favoritism that he regularly gave them the toughest assignments. As his favorites, the Rose-Arc twins always got the jobs that would make them stand out among the other students.

Athena rolled her eyes as she recalled berating Leon for making things even worse for them. And then she recalled Grandpa Tai's huge grin. Even worse was their parents' failure to override Grandpa Tai's judgment. All her mother could do was smile and dad wouldn't even make eye contact with anyone.

"Ugh, you guys all suck," she grumbled as she took off her clothes and stepped into the shower.

The water was already warm, catching her off-guard. She realized that Leon must have already taken a shower. She wouldn't have to deal with the cold water today. She stopped mid-thought as the water drenched her hair, washing over her entire body.

_Huh? _she pondered. _No, it couldn't be._

She closed her eyes as the warmth continued to envelop her, washing away the grime from yesterday. She had gone straight to bed without even changing her clothes because of how exhausted she had been. Having to cover her entire team all at once at some point during their near-disastrous hunting assignment took its toll on her physically.

_Great. I'm gonna have to change my sheets. Probably all gross and crap._

She turned off the water, watching as the last of it swirled down the drain at her feet. She stared at the metal strainer for some time before letting out a heavy sigh and reaching for her towel. She took her time drying off today. Usually, she had the most energy out of everyone in the house, even more so than their mother. It was different today, though.

_I can't believe how tiring that was._

Once she was dried off, she changed into her new clothes, a pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt, topping the look with a red windbreaker that she left unzipped. She headed out of the bathroom to the hallway closet to grab a new set of bed sheets, but she stopped at the bedroom doorway. Her sheets had already been changed.

She looked around. No one was nearby. Just to be sure, she headed into the room she shared with her brother, standing right in front of her bed to stare at it for a moment. Puzzled, she reached out with both hands. The sheets felt clean. She leaned forward to sniff it.

_What the hell? _she thought. "Hey, did you change my sheets?" When there was no reply, she stepped out into the hallway. "Leon?"

"Sis! Are you done showering yet?" his voice sounded in the distance.

She headed over to the front door and opened it. The bright morning sunlight blinded her for a moment and she shielded her eyes, spotting Leon, Ingrid, and Astor standing in the middle of the dirt road at the edge of the small field their home sat in.

"Oh, hey, sleeping beauty's awake!" Astor said, giving her his signature gleaming smile.

"We thought you were gonna sleep until tomorrow," Ingrid said.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Athena said, crossing her arms without leaving the patio.

The trio exchanged glances.

"It's a weekend," Leon said. "Let's go hit the town or something."

"I'm way too friggin' tired to go out right now," Athena sighed.

"Is that why you're already dressed to go out?" Astor chuckled.

"Shut up," she said before tying her hair up into a ponytail.

"I guess we're going?" Ingrid said.

"Yeah, whatever."

The town was just a little over a half hour's walk from their house. Ruby and Jaune had stayed overnight at Signal Academy to do some work with the other instructors.

"Mom and dad say they'll meet us for lunch," Leon said, reading text messages on his scroll. "Where do you guys wanna go to?"

"Hang on," Astor said, making a detour. "Let's go stop by the dorms first."

The others followed after him, loitering outside. Signal Academy was mostly empty for the weekend. Everyone, students and faculty alike, was probably with their families, either scattered around the island of Patch or back in Vale, on the mainland.

"You think she's figured it out yet?" Leon whispered to Ingrid as they spied on Athena, who was tucking a lock of gold behind her ear as the wind blew her hair around.

"I dunno," Ingrid whispered back. "She's not dumb, so she's probably picked up on it by now, but then again, how the heck do we surprise her if it's not even a surprise anymore?"

For the most part, Leon knew his sister quite well. They were born on the same day, after all, only two minutes apart. But there were some days when he could not get a read on her at all. It was a rarity since she was quite expressive, something both siblings got from both of their parents, but ever since they started their fourth year at Signal Academy, she started to turn more and more inward.

"I bet it's all the pressure," Ingrid said. "It can't be easy being the Golden Girl of Vale."

Leon sighed. Ingrid had a point. After all, there were a lot of people looking up to Athena now, especially after she proved herself in matches against all sorts of competitors from around the island and even from the mainland. At first, it was just their local town that cheered her on, but as her fame spread, the entire Kingdom of Vale laid claim to her.

In contrast, Leon was really nothing more than her shadow. He, too, was quite talented in combat, whether against other warriors or against hordes of Grimm, but despite being ranked among the top five at Signal, he was still nothing in comparison to his big sister, the one who was capable of taking down an entire team of huntsmen-in-training all by herself.

"Hey, you all right?"

Leon turned to Ingrid, who was staring right at him. He gazed deeply into her amber-colored eyes for a moment, momentarily forgetting everything he had just been pondering. He failed to notice his Faunus companion's reddening cheeks.

"Hey!" Ingrid yelled. "Would you stop staring at me like that?"

He blinked several times. "What? You're the one staring at me!"

She turned even redder. "I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!"

"Heck you!"

"What?"

"You two are fighting again?" Astor chuckled as he rejoined them.

"We're not fighting!" the two said simultaneously before turning toward each other and growling and then turning their backs toward each other.

Athena pinched Ingrid on the side as she walked by, making the cat Faunus squeak.

"Athena!" she yelled.

"Leon, you idiot, you left your guitar in Astor's dorm," Athena said to her brother.

"Oh, sick," the younger twin said as he accepted his guitar from Astor, who also carried his own guitar-axe with him. The two boys plucked a few strings in harmony, tuning their instruments before beginning a song and stopping abruptly.

"Park?" Astor suggested.

Athena shrugged and Ingrid checked her scroll.

"I think there's some stuff going on there right now," Ingrid said, scrolling down. "Looks like...yeah. I thought it was a bit louder today than usual."

"What is it?" Athena said.

She shrugged. "I dunno, you guys are the ones that live here, not me. I'm just an import."

"_My_ favorite import," Leon said, wrapping his arms around her from behind, but she disappeared and he looked to the side. "Ugh, fooled by a shadow clone _again_."

"You're _so_ predictable," she said with an eye-roll.

"I guess we could go," Athena said. "Nothing else to do, right?"

The quartet headed to the town's big park, where a huge crowd of people gathered for games and picnics, apparently a planned town event that the four of them had completely missed information about. Astor picked a spot underneath a tree that hadn't been claimed yet, sitting against the trunk with his guitar-axe.

"There's no ants and stuff, are there?" Ingrid said, squatting on the grass to inspect the ground before seating herself with her team. Leon and Astor began to play soft music together while the girls listened.

Ingrid continued to watch Athena. She was much more pensive today than normal, though any explanation eluded even the cat Faunus's keen senses. She looked over at Leon. His mood and facial expressions didn't betray any pranks he might have pulled at home. Perhaps it was just one of those days for Athena Rose.

It wasn't long before Jaune and Ruby found the quartet, joining them for a picnic that Jaune had prepared.

"Everybody's happy with sandwiches, right?" he asked the kids.

"Heck yeah, Mr. Arc-Rose," Astor said. "Always down for free food!"

"It must be different without your mom's cooking, though," Ruby said.

"I mean, nothing beats mom's Stoplight Chicken, but I ain't no snob."

"Oh, that's right, dad just released your progress report for yesterday's assignment. Looks like your team's still at the top."

"By a lot," Jaune added.

"Of course we are," Leon said, bumping fists with Ingrid and Astor. "Cuz we're the best team in all of Signal, right sis?"

They all looked over to Athena, who hadn't said a word since her parents joined the group.

"Sis?" Leon repeated.

She snapped out of her reverie before turning to her brother. "Hmm? Did you say something?"

"Mom and dad were just saying that Grandpa Tai says we're still getting perfect scores for our assignments."

"And you did particularly well," Ingrid said. "No surprise there, really."

"Oh," Athena said before turning back to the horizon, staring off into space.

"Is your sister okay?" Ruby asked Leon.

"She was just fine this morning," he said. "She even slapped me on the forehead and everything."

"I guess she's really tired from yesterday," Jaune said.

"I don't blame her," Astor said. "Yesterday almost turned into a disaster."

"I'll, uh, try and convince dad _not_ to put you guys through that again," Ruby chuckled nervously.

While the rest of the group chattered and ate, Athena remained silent, having eaten the smallest half-sandwich available. After a while, she let out a heavy sigh and stood up. The group went quiet as she began marching off into the distance.

Leon turned to Ingrid and quickly handed her his guitar for safekeeping before springing up and following after his sister.

"Sis! Wait up!" he panted as he ran after her, slowing to match her pace when he caught up. "Hey, you okay?"

She didn't answer for a moment, turning to him when she realized he was talking to her.

"Hmm?" she said.

He chuckled. "You've been spacing out all day, you know."

"Dude, I told you, I'm fuckin' tired. Grandpa Tai worked the shit out of us yesterday."

"Well, yeah, he did." He paused as they continued to walk in no particular direction. "Thanks, though."

"For what?"

"For carrying the team. As always."

She chuckled. "Seems like that's all I'm good for anymore."

He turned to her. She was looking straight ahead. Again, he couldn't get a read on her facial expression, but that short sentence told him more than he needed to know. He pondered what to say to try and get the mood up, but he was mostly bad at this kind of thing. Making other people laugh was easy. Lifting up Athena's mood was an entirely different matter. She was mostly independent, after all, regulating her own emotions without need of any outside intervention. In truth, Leon understood that she was likely to get over whatever this was in due time, but he didn't want to just let it play out the way it usually did. It was about time he did something for her after all those times she carried the team in school.

He opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it.

"Do you feel like you're living in my shadow?" Athena said.

The words shook him to his core. He had intended on making this about her and trying to lift her spirits. He hadn't anticipated that the tables would get turned so abruptly.

"No, not really," he lied through his teeth.

"Tell me the truth, Leon," Athena said, stopping and turning to face him.

He thought about it for some time before shaking his head. "You should know me better than anyone else. Spotlight's not what I care about."

"I'm not talking about the stupid spotlight. I'm talking about what's in here." She poked him on the chest, right over his heart. "Is what I do making you feel like you're second-rate?"

He didn't answer for some time, though he did not break eye contact with her.

"Like I said," he sighed, "I don't do what I do for fame or anything. And if you're thinking that I feel like maybe mom and dad are more proud of you than they are of me, stop. They've never even once hinted anything like that. And no, I don't act all laid back and shit just to cover up some hole in my heart or something like that. I'm happy where I am." He paused for a moment before concluding with, "Are you?"

Two words. That was all it took to make Athena's heart stop beating for a moment.

_Am I? Am I really happy where I am?_

She turned to walk away from her brother, but he took her by the hand, stopping her movement. She turned to him. His lavender eyes betrayed an intensity she had never seen in him before.

"What are you doing?" she said as he let go of her hand.

He turned and gestured with his head. "C'mon. I have something to show you."

"I don't trust that smirk on your face."

"You never trust the smirk on my face."

She sighed, shaking her head as she followed him through the woods. They had been walking for some time when she addressed him once more.

"Where the hell are we going?" she said.

"Not that much further," he said.

She let out another sigh, continuing to push the brush out of her face as they traversed this unbeaten path.

"Dammit, my jacket just got torn by this stupid bush," Athena grumbled.

"Okay, here we are," Leon said.

"Here we are what...?"

Her eyes widened as the sight took her breath away. As far as the eye could see was a vast field of wild roses of all colors, each one in full bloom. She took a few steps forward, standing right at the edge of the untamed garden. Leon couldn't see her face, but he figured she was in shock from the way she had reacted just now.

"Happy birthday, sis," he said.

She turned to him, mild annoyance on her face. "What do you mean 'happy birthday'? It's _your_ birthday, too, dumbass!"

He chuckled, teleporting to a small clearing out in the field, careful to make sure he wasn't trampling anything. He plucked the best white rose and red rose he could find before teleporting to his sister's side, holding them both out for her.

"You're as cheesy as dad is, you know that?" she said, wryly accepting the two roses from her brother.

Without a word, he turned back out to the flower field, watching as the leaves and petals swayed with a gentle breeze that engulfed the meadow. Meanwhile, Athena closed her eyes as she breathed in the sweet, floral scent of the entire field, carried to her by the wind. The twins spent several minutes in silence, reflecting as they looked out to the distance.

"How did you find this place?" Athena broke the silence.

"I figured you didn't notice it," Leon said.

She looked at him.

"On our way back to Signal yesterday, we passed by here. On the other side of the field, those trees over there. You were so focused on the path ahead of us that you didn't realize this was even here."

It was strange. In some ways, she and her brother complemented each other perfectly. He was correct in his assessment that she was always focused on the path ahead. It wasn't just yesterday. On the contrary, because of their differing stations in life, he had the luxury to turn his attention elsewhere. She would never have seen this flower field, never in a million years. And he would never miss it, never in a million years.

"Wanna head back?" he asked her.

She breathed in deeply, letting it all out slowly. "Let's stay here for a little longer."

He smiled, standing at his big sister's side. He would never leave her. This was his place in life, to be her support. The rest of the world, all of the fans who chanted the name Golden Girl of Vale, could not possibly know the person behind that mask, a young woman who also bled and ached and grew tired and hungry and cold.

As far as he was concerned, he wasn't in her shadow. He was the pillar she could count on if the going got too tough.

"Hey, sis?" he said.

She looked at him without a word.

"You know I've always got your back, right?"

She smiled before turning to gaze back out at the endless field of roses.


	2. Vignette 2 - Yours Truly,

Vignette 2

_Yours Truly,_

It's been a long while since we last communicated like this, don't you think? I know you said you'd be gone for some time, and so I held off on writing another letter to you, but I just can't keep to myself anymore, so I do hope that you don't mind me sending you another out of the blue. I hope and pray that my words reach you safely.

Where should I start...?

I guess I'll begin with all of our friends. They're doing well. Everyone's moved on with their lives. Some have decided to settle down while others could do no such thing and have hit the road to travel the world and see all it has to offer.

I wonder what you see where you are now.

I'm one of the ones who settled down. No, it's not what you're thinking. I haven't lost my will to live. On the contrary, I have a very important reason to continue on. She's everything to me, my life, my soul, my world. Gosh, I wish you could see her. I think you'd be so proud of her.

I wonder if she dreams of you the way I dream of you.

Do you dream of me, too?

She reminds me so much of you in so many ways. I think she'll go on to do great things in life, just like you did. Naturally, though, she's not nearly a carbon copy of you. There are things she does on a regular basis that you'd probably never get caught doing. Yes, yes, we all have our cringe moments, but sometimes she can really go overboard with them. She's a growing child, after all.

Things have calmed down a lot since you left. There's no sign of war between the kingdoms. International trade is at an all-time high. The Grimm are all but extinct in populated places. We only ever hear of Grimm attacks anymore out in the deepest woods and wilderness.

I really wish you could be here to see all of this. Oh, I know. I'll take pictures and attach them to this letter. For sure you'll be eager to be back home when you see how nice it's gotten. I know you said you wanted to take me to see your homeland someday, and I'm still looking forward to that, but...at the same time, _this_ is your home. This is where you belong now. You've helped make this world a better place and you deserve to take part in it.

My nights are so cold without you by my side.

I feel as though it's been an eternity since we last met. How I've longed to hear your comforting voice once more, to gaze into those soft, warm eyes. You were my rock. You still are, if I'm to be honest. I can't really say how the heck I've managed to keep from falling apart over these years, but here I am.

No, I know why. It's because of her. Whenever I look at her, I can't help but see you in her. Ugh, I'm talking in circles, aren't I? I guess it's obvious I've missed you, isn't it?

Anyway, I'm gonna let you go now.

No, that's not true. I will never let you go. After all, nothing can truly separate us, right? That's what you promised me, after all.

_Niemals werde ich dich verlassen._

_Ich bin dein für alle ewigkeit._

Never will I leave you. I am yours for all eternity.

Those were your words. That was your promise. And I will hold on to that promise until the end of time.

I will always be here, waiting for your return, my love.

Yours Truly,

_Weiss Schnee_


	3. Vignette 3 - Born for Blue Skies

Vignette 3

_Born for Blue Skies_

It was another day at Beacon Academy, another victory for Echo in a race against the dawn light. She stood at the edge of the CCTS tower's rooftop. Beacon Academy was still fast asleep right now, but not her. She had always been an early bird, a fact that made her perfect as a hunter back home in that tiny village to the south of the Kingdom of Vale.

She shielded her eyes as the sun peeked above the horizon, bathing Remnant in its warmth and radiance. The wind picked up as she moved to the other side of the tower, gazing out at the megalopolis known as Vale, where the bulk of the kingdom's citizenry resided. She took a seat at the edge of the tower's roof, pulling in one knee as she spent the dawn minutes watching cars and airships move about. Soon, the downtown district started to liven up as well.

There was quite a sizeable strip of land separating Beacon Academy from the mega city, but that did little to stop the traffic to and from campus grounds. She spotted a number of her fellow students heading down the main promenade, making their way toward the city. There was one in particular leaving the dorms who caught her attention.

It was Lilly Schnee, the eldest yet the most innocent among the group. There was no mistaking that snow-white hair. Her getup today wasn't as casual as it normally was. The blue jeans and white t-shirt were replaced by a white and blue autumn dress and white sandals.

Echo made her way down from the tower, leaping from ledge to ledge before landing on a rooftop. She kept to high ground as she headed toward the coffee shop Lilly went to every morning. She peeked around the corner, keeping her distance, but Lilly's eyes met hers and she gave her a big smile.

"Are you trying to hide from me?" Lilly asked.

Echo played it cool, emerging from around the building and heading to her friend.

"Hey, wanna have some coffee with me?"

"Sure," Echo said with a shrug. She was more of a tea drinker, but she could try something new. After all, this was the first person she had ever made friends with at this school. It would be unbecoming of her to deny the company.

She stayed silent as Lilly continued babbling on about the different kinds of coffees out there. Echo had no idea that coffee beans could be graded as alkaline or acidic—the terms were mostly meaningless to her, in fact.

"So, what were you thinking of getting?" Lilly asked.

"Huh?" Echo said blankly.

Lilly giggled. "Uh, let's see if I can simplify it a bit. Darker roasts tend to be more bitter and you can hardly taste where the beans come from. You said you like tea, right?"

She nodded. "But I'm not really, like, how you are with coffee. I just drink tea that we used to grow in the yard."

"Is your tea usually lightly colored or dark?"

"Kinda dark."

"Oh, so you drink black teas."

"I guess." She paused. "There was this one time, though. My brothers got me some imported teas for my thirteenth birthday. I think those were all green teas."

"Oh, did they get you sakura tea?"

"I think one was sakura. I don't remember. All three they got me tasted really flowery. That's all I remember."

"Sakura tea is cherry blossom. Like, legit cherry blossom, not pomegranate tea that they call cherry. I think that's stupid."

She chuckled. "Yeah, I think one of them did taste a little like cherry."

"I'm not a huge tea drinker myself. I'm betting Xanthus and Yuan are, though, since they're from Mistral and that's where the majority of the world's tea supply comes from. Coffee's more of a Vale and Menagerie thing, although the tropical mountains in northern Vacuo also has bean farms. My old hometown also grew coffee beans, but I don't really like the taste."

"I dunno. All coffee tastes the same to me."

Lilly giggled. "You know what, I think this place does sample shots. I'm-a order us a platter."

She watched in silence as Lilly chatted with the barista in what, to Echo, sounded more like a foreign language. She recognized some of the terms, like dark roast and light roast, but everything else sounded more like chemistry than culinary arts.

"Awesome!" Lilly said, accepting the tray of coffee shots, sitting with Echo at a table outside. "Okay, whaddya wanna try first?"

Echo shrugged. "Dark roast, I guess."

"Ugh, my mom likes dark roasts. I think they're too bitter."

They both had the darkest roast on the table and Echo's face twisted in disgust. "This tastes like charcoal."

"Yeah, it does," Lilly coughed. "Okay, let's make our way down from here. My favorites are the light roasts."

Echo looked at the dark liquid in her tiny cup. "Is this oil?"

"Yeah, the beans let out a lot of oil the longer and hotter you roast them. Honestly, I think overcooking the beans really defeats a lot of the native flavor. I like the lightest roasts because you can actually taste where the beans come from. Too dark and they all taste like they come from—"

"From hell," Echo interrupted her, making her giggle. They had the second shot together. "Ugh, that's bitter, too."

"I was expecting a lot less flavor, though. This one's actually pretty good."

"Huh?" she said, incredulous.

"Yeah, I can taste a bit of...huh. It's a bit acidic."

_What does that even mean?_ Echo wondered.

"'Kay, on to the next!"

The progression went from darkest roast to lightest. Although her palate wasn't anywhere near as sophisticated as Lilly's clearly was, she could taste some of the things that her companion was picking up. It wasn't until now that she had a word for those flavors, though. And she could definitely see that the lighter roasts were much more complex in flavor. The last one they drank after cleansing their palates was still quite bitter, but after all the dark roasts, Echo could sit through this one a lot better.

Underneath the bitterness was a sweet, almost flowery flavor. Beyond the sweetness filling her mouth, however, was an impressive aroma that was probably even more pleasant than the actual taste of the coffee.

"Wow," she said on impulse.

"Good?" Lilly said.

"This one's amazing."

"It's also my favorite. Mom's into all sorts of different coffees, from dark roasts all the way to light roasts, but I like this one the best. I think there's also something about the fact that it's pretty bitter at first, but then a floral sweetness emerges out from beneath the bitterness."

"That's what I was gonna say. It's...it's like a flower pushing its way up through the snow."

Lilly smiled. "I never thought of it that way."

"What's this coffee called?"

"There's no particular name for the blend, but they're lightly roasted beans from Patch and Menagerie, ground together very finely in a two-to-three ratio, and brewed with water that has just barely reached boiling point and then filtered through very fine, unbleached paper."

"That's...uh, I was gonna say super specific, but it's more like scientific than anything else, to be honest."

"I mean, yeah, it _is_ a science. You kinda have to try out the different roast levels and blends and filtering methods and even brewing temperatures and then figure out what goes best with what. Mom and I experimented with this blend for a whole month before we got it perfect."

"Do other beans taste like this?"

"The sweetest beans come from Menagerie because of how tropical it is down there. There are some sweet coffee beans that come from the tropical area of Mistral, but nothing beats Menagerie. Patch does grow coffee, too, but only in a tiny area of land that's actually suitable for growing coffee beans."

"I thought you could grow coffee anywhere."

Lilly shook her head. "Has to be tropical. Tropical areas are perpetually warm and wet, which is basically necessary for coffee beans. That's why Atlas doesn't grow any at all. Well, Oasis tries to grow coffee since it's the only temperate patch of land in all of Solitas, but it's not tropical and it's too cool, so the beans come out really weird and funky tasting."

"So, why is Menagerie's coffee so good?"

"Particularly cuz of the mountains. Menagerie's tropical mountains are pretty high in elevation and that's where the best beans come from. Vacuo's mountain beans are also pretty good, but not as high altitude as Menagerie's."

"I...don't see how altitude can influence how a bean tastes."

Lilly chuckled. "It has to do with how long the beans take to mature. The lower the altitude, the hotter the climate is, so the beans end up softer and ripen really quickly. The higher the altitude, the cooler the environment, and the longer it takes for the beans to mature, so the sugar content really builds up. It's why beans from Menagerie are almost like chocolate."

"If they like cooler environments, why not just grow them in Atlas?"

"That's what some growers are trying to do in Oasis, but the problem is that Solitas is too dry. And you can't really grow much of anything on permafrost, so that's totally out of the question."

"So the wetness is what makes tropical regions the best?"

Lilly nodded as she sipped on her coffee, savoring every drop. "That's why they only grow it in specific regions. The mountains north of Vacuo in their tropical region are basically the perfect spot for bean growing, among other things, so there's some farmers out there trying their hand in the coffee game. Still, nobody beats Menagerie's high tropical mountains when it comes to coffee beans."

"So, how the heck do they grow them on Patch?"

"Patch is actually kinda tropical to the northwest for some reason, even though the rest of the island is pretty temperate. I dunno, probably has something to do with the oceanic current or some other weather pattern that makes that spot of the island really wet. I'm just wondering how the heck they pull any of it off since it actually snows on the island."

"Maybe their beans are particularly hardy."

"Probably. They've gotta be if they have to survive the cold. Ugh, some of these climates honestly make no sense. It's an _island_. There shouldn't be two whole climates there."

Echo chuckled, looking into her empty cup.

"So, how come you're not with your team?"

"Should be asking you the same, team leader."

"Ingrid is up at the CCTS tower talking to her mom and dad and the rest of the family. Leon and Yuan are playing videogames with Xanthus and Perseus. I'm surprised you're not with Athena, to be honest."

Echo reddened a bit. "She's off training with Penny and Professor Branwen. I didn't wanna get in their way."

"Huh?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you mean 'get in their way'?"

"You know. Athena's the top of the entire school. I'm, well, I'm me."

Lilly watched her companion as she fidgeted with her cup while looking out at nothing in particular. In truth, they were both no different. They still had a long way to go with their academic performance and both were the least physically strong of both teams.

"I mean, honestly," she began, "I'm probably the least prepared out of all of us."

Echo turned to her.

"But I have a promise to keep. To my mom. That I'm gonna do the best that I can do while I'm here." She paused. "Hey, does your village get communication from the CCTS network?"

She shook her head.

"They get letters, though, right?"

"Not really. We don't have any regular communication with the outside, but from time to time we do have people visit a town at the edge of our forest. That's the only place we ever do any trading with."

"Well, the good thing is that we have a super diligent mailing company that delivers mail anywhere you might need it delivered!"

"Huh? Really? That exists?"

"I think so."

Echo gave her a dry look.

"Hey, Perseus said his dad's company has a subsidiary that does worldwide deliveries!"

"Oh."

"So, c'mon! Why don't you write your family a letter?"

"A letter?"

"Yeah! You can't reach them by CCTS network, so a letter will have to do."

"But..."

"C'mon! It'll be awesome! It's not fair that I get to call my mom every weekend and let her know my progress here at school and you don't. At least send your parents a letter!"

"I guess."

"Nah-uh. No 'I guess'. I'm not gonna let you go until you get to writing."

Echo chuckled before getting up to throw away their trash.

"Hey! You can't escape me!"

She hopped up to a light post and Lilly scowled at her.

"That's not fair!"

Echo chuckled before hopping back down. "I was just getting a better view of our path to the library, that's all."

"You lie."

"Never."

"Hmph."

Echo couldn't help but laugh. "So, where's the letter writing department?"

"Well, campus does have a postal service at the administration building, but let's go get a table at the library."

Echo followed after her. "I've never written a letter before."

"Oh, first time for everything! I'll coach you, but it's _your _letter, so the writing is gonna be totally yours."

"Okay."

They took the first vacant table at the library. Echo pulled out her notebook from her backpack, flipping to the first blank page available.

"Hey, you draw?" Lilly said, noticing her flip past a sketch of a flower of some kind.

"Yeah," Echo said, flipping back to the pencil drawing of a water lily she had drawn a while ago, while they were out collecting tree sap from Forever Fall.

"Oh, that's pretty!"

"Do you draw, too?"

"Yeah, but not as much as I used to. I doodled every day back in middle school, but I kinda stopped in high school. Actually, I can't remember the last time I picked up a pencil."

"I think it'll come back to you once inspiration hits."

"You think so?"

She nodded. "I don't think something like that just leaves you."

"Maybe. Okay, let's get started! For now, just think of the stuff you wanna tell your family. And don't hold back on what you wanna tell them, too."

Echo stared at a blank page for a long while. Each time she would put her pen down to the paper and begin writing, she'd be dissatisfied with her own work, cross everything out, and start over again, repeating the process until she had to flip to a new page altogether.

She thought of what to include in the letter, her progress in school and her work with her team, but there was nothing she could write that could make her parents proud of her. After all, she was at the bottom of the GPA ladder in the entire school and her physical capabilities weren't anywhere near where the rest of her team was.

The drought of inspiration ended when she remembered her mother's words to her the night before she shipped off from her village to become a Huntress.

_Echo, I love you. Nothing can ever change that. I want you to know that the last thing your father and I want to do is to keep you from spreading your wings and becoming who you were truly meant to be. This will always be your home, Echo, but you need to find out where you truly belong. After all, my darling, you were always meant to roam under the blue sky, not stay cooped up in this tiny village forever._

Echo looked down at her notebook. There were a few wet spots on the page. She wiped her eyes with her palms upon realizing that the teardrops were hers. A soothing touch enveloped her shoulders as her companion wrapped an arm around her.

"I think you've figured out what you wanna say, huh?" Lilly said with the warmest smile ever, as far as Echo was concerned.

Echo nodded, getting to work on the letter. She had begun this venture with the impression that she was going to write an essay, but sometimes the most powerful messages were contained in the fewest words.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_I think I've finally figured out where I really belong._

_Always yours,_

_Echo_


	4. Vignette 4 - When the Clouds Break

Vignette 4

_When the Clouds Break_

Henry pulled open the curtains to allow the morning sunlight to bathe the bedroom in its warmth. He pushed the windows open, closing his eyes as he breathed in the fresh spring air. This area of the city of Vale was far away from all the noise and pollution of the urban centers, the perfect place for him and his wife to rest.

"Good morning, my darling Risa," he said as he kissed his wife on the forehead. "Another beautiful day awaits us, my love."

He caressed her hands, kneading warmth into her cold fingers. He continued massaging her hands, moving up to her forearms and shoulders before continuing with her legs.

"It's another nice April day, isn't it?" he said, looking up to her face. "Ah, the birds are back to sing us their song."

He shifted the pillows around, repositioning her to minimize her risk for bedsores. He checked the G-Tube feeding device. Everything was working properly. It was time to turn it off for the day since the dose had completed its run.

"Oh, right, I forgot," Henry said as he walked over to the stereo set. "Yesterday you got to listen to your favorite tracks, but I think it's time we listen to some of mine. I know you don't really like classical as much as you enjoy your Lyon's Pride albums, but I picked out some stuff that I think you might enjoy. At least, I hope you enjoy them."

He stood in front of the speakers, listening to the first minute of the string quartet before returning to his wife, giving her hands a kiss. He reached over to the bin he had set up earlier and dipped a finger in.

"Perfect," he said. "It's not scalding hot. Great time for a morning bath."

He gingerly washed his wife with the warm, damp towel, making sure to get to every corner. When he was finished, he looked at her closely.

"Looks like your hair is growing out a bit. What do you think? Is it time for a haircut?" He paused for a moment. "Hmm. Yeah, I think I agree with you. I like the long, flowing hair myself. Heck, it's what first attracted me all those years ago, remember?"

He took a seat beside the bed, holding her hand as he recounted when they first met.

"You were standing at the far end of the pier in northwest Vale, barefoot and in nothing but a pale green summer dress, your long, raven hair flowing with the warm breeze. I still remember thinking what a weird girl you were." He chuckled. "Actually, I still think you're weird. Weird and...lovely. The way your mind works, it's...it's like no other."

His voice began to break at the latter half of that sentence, but he held it together.

For her, he would never let himself break.

"Right, I almost forgot. I found this book at the market yesterday. We finished that other novel already, so I thought I'd find you another one." He sat in bed, propping himself up beside her before flipping to the first page. "I, uh, I hope you aren't mad at me for reading ahead through the first chapter. I know we're supposed to go through all of these adventures together, but it was kind of a spur of the moment thing. The girl at the bookstore urged me to take a look before buying and before I knew it, I'd almost started the second chapter. Anyway, I hope you're looking forward to this cuz I sure as heck can't wait myself!"

Henry read through the entire first chapter, continuing on until half of the book was finished. This was the first of a series of high fantasy adventure novels, starring a village girl named Eirwen, the youngest between herself and her two brothers. Their family tended to a farm at the outskirts of the kingdom, far removed from the conflict slowly coming to a boil.

Their peace was overturned when a skirmish between humans and fallen elves awakened an Ancient One from his ten-thousand-year slumber beneath the nearby lake which fed the village. The sky-high monstrosity devoured both armies with ease before making its way toward the village. Though the villagers fled into the thick woods, the monster was capable of sniffing them out.

Fate would bring Eirwen face to face with the monster. The unassuming village girl harbored in her heart a desire unusual for girls in her day and age. She had always dreamt of a destiny far greater than the simple village life. Even as a little girl, she found herself standing up for other kids who became subject to bullying. And now, all of that had come to bear fruit. Eirwen stood her ground in front of the towering monster of ancient times, swearing before all witnesses to be the shield that protects those who lack the power to protect themselves.

It was at that moment that a voice spoke in her mind, hearing the cries of her heart and acknowledging the determination radiating from her soul. It was the voice of an ancient legendary weapon. It urged her to utter its name, _Caledfwlch_, and the instant she did, the sword manifested itself before her, reflecting the brilliance of her spirit and driving away the encroaching darkness. With a single swing, she vanquished the Ancient One, ending the threat to her village.

"Oh, man," Henry sighed as he finished the middle chapter of the book. "That girl sure is something, isn't she? And the knight she's partnering up with, what do you think? Is it gonna be more of a brother-sister thing or is this ship gonna sail? Personally, I ship Eirwen with the elf guy, the one with the bow and arrow. He's such a friggin' gentleman. The knight can be a little rough around the edges and I know you're into those guys; seriously, I don't know what the heck you saw in me when you married me."

He stretched and yawned before leaning back against the headboard, looking up at the ceiling. The entire day had already passed them by, but it was fine. He turned to his wife, admiring her beautiful face. After nearly a year of doing this day after day, he could no longer hold back the tide. Tears began to stream down his face and he buried himself against her shoulder.

"Risa," he managed. "I miss you so much. Is there any way for me to hear your voice again? Will I ever see you smile again?"

The doctors had no hope to give him. The illness had no explanation and the prognosis was indeterminate. No one had any idea what was keeping her under. But Henry was a stubborn man. He never let her go, no matter what. He made sure to take care of her every single day, even going so far as to take a class in care-giving for comatose patients.

Henry steeled himself. He could never let his wife sense weakness coming from him. He had to be strong.

For her.

"I'll be right outside, my darling," he said before placing a kiss on her forehead.

—

Afternoon brought with it another visit from her primary doctor. Just like with every other visit, there was no explanation, just another series of vague descriptions of what might be wrong with her, but never anything concrete.

Today was different from all the other visits, however.

"I urge you to consider the option, Mr. Schmidt."

Henry looked at the doctor. He could scarcely keep his composure in the face of such a suggestion.

"You're asking me to pull the plug on my wife?" he said as flatly as he could, though that was impossible given the circumstances.

"Henry, you have to look at the facts. We have seen no significant brain activity in almost a year now. Exactly one year in just a week's time. Please, I don't want you to think I'm saying this out of anything besides compassion. For your own sake and for hers, you need to let her go."

He looked to his right, through the open door into their bedroom. All that kept his wife alive was machinery. Although she could breathe on her own, she needed to be artificially fed and every need had to be met by another person. Without him, she would die in a matter of days. The extra clarity afforded by the doctor's words removed the rose-tinted lens he had been seeing his wife through. She was no longer the exquisite cherry blossom he had envisioned her to be. She was feeble and pitiable, forced by machines to remain in this wretched existence.

The doctor was right. He had to let her go. Even if there was still a part of her in there, this was hell for her. She needed to be released from it.

But not like this.

"Doctor," Henry said, facing him. "Thank you for everything you've done for my wife. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I am not giving up on her. Not now, not a million years from now. She saved me all those years ago. I'm gonna keep hanging on for her sake, too."

The doctor opened his mouth to speak, but upon seeing the resoluteness in Henry's face, decided to hold his tongue. He gave a small bow before showing himself out.

—

"I'm so sorry about this, Risa," he said, propping himself up against the headboard beside his wife. "The past week has been so friggin' busy with all the insurance guys and everybody visiting, so we haven't had time to finish that book together. Your sisters brought some cake. I'll see if I can't feed you some later. It'll be just like old times, huh? You and me each feeding one another. Why do couples do that anyway? It's so weird."

He flipped open the novel he had started with her a week ago and finished it before the day was over. Eirwen's adventure with the knight, elf, and dwarf brought her all the way to the capital of the kingdom, where she was recognized as the true heir of the empty throne by virtue of her bearing the sword Caledfwlch. The legends held that one day, the Once and Future King would return to the land bearing his old sword, which had been returned to the Realm of the Faeries when he had died. Of course no one ever expected that a village girl would be the one to bear the sword, someone who had been so timid and small compared to her three physically impressive party members.

"Holy crap," Henry said as he put the book down. "Okay, so now that that's over and done with, for sure, I'm absolutely positive, that the next book is gonna start with her doing the trials and stuff that the stupid nobles and aristocracy want her to do in order to 'prove her worth' or whatever the heck that means. I mean, c'mon! She has the friggin' sword in her hand—whose name I'm totally not even gonna try to pronounce—so isn't that enough? They're probably all mad cuz she's a girl and all that and their soft asses are being made to look all bad cuz they got outdid by a girl. Stupid."

He sighed heavily before leaning his head back, missing the headboard completely and making contact with the wall.

"So, does she end up with the elf or the knight?"

"I dunno," Henry said with a shrug. "That's not really the point of the story, I think."

He paused for a moment, his eyes opening wide. He quickly turned to the left. Risa's soft, brown eyes were locked with his so intently. He felt his eyes welling up with tears, but he quickly wiped them away, giving her a smile instead.

"Hi," she said to him.

"Hi," he replied, his voice cracking.

They stared into one another's eyes for what felt like eternity before he leaned in to kiss his wife on the lips, trying to convince himself that this was not a dream or hallucination.

"So, I'm really awake," Risa said as her husband remained close to her.

"Funny," he chuckled, "you're stealing my lines."

"Henry," she whispered. "I could...I could hear everything. You've been through so much."

The tears became too heavy and he let them fall, but his weeping was silent.

"I think...those novels you've been reading to me, they kept me alive all this time. And I don't mean, like, physically alive. I was trapped in my own body, unable to talk to you, but you took me on countless adventures with all those books, Henry."

"They were pretty good, weren't they?" he said as he wiped tears that kept coming back.

"The funny thing about that last one...I think...I think I met her. Eirwen, I mean."

"Huh?"

"It...no, it wasn't a dream. I saw her."

"Saw who?"

"A girl. A girl with snow-white hair and a brilliant, magical sword. At her side every day was her trusted knight, who glowed with magic."

"You spent some time with this girl?"

"Well, not really. It was pretty spotty, but I saw her a number of times, here and there. She had friends, too, but no elves or dwarves. Other kids, just like her. But she was the one. She broke my chains and...freed me."

He smiled at her.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"Of course I do," he said, kissing her on the forehead. "Because magic is the only thing that can explain why I have you back."

"I think...I think it really was magic."

"I love you, Risa. I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Henry. I'm so sorry for putting you through—"

He quieted her with a finger to her lips. "That's enough of that. You're back. That's all that matters."

She smiled before leaning her head against his.

—

Lilly couldn't help the smile on her face as she spied on Henry and Risa through their bedroom window. The Illusion Rune kept her and her party hidden from the couple and other onlookers.

"This is borderline stalking, you know," Ivory said.

"Nope!" Lilly said, skipping away from the building. "It's only stalking if you keep doing it over and over again!"

"This is our second time at their house."

"Yup! And twice isn't stalking!"

Ivory sighed, looking to Lilly's knight for approval, but his response was a shrug. The younger Schnee rolled her eyes before following after her cousin.

"Okeedokee!" Lilly said with a hop as she got on her scroll. "Ariadne! Yup! She's awake! Who's our next target?"

"You don't even take a breather, do you?" Ivory said.

"No time for rest! Not when there are more people to save!"

Ivory couldn't help but smile at that notion. "You're right. Let's go as soon as Ariadne has our next assignment."

"That's what I'm talkin' about!"


End file.
